United midfielder set for imminent departure

Darren Fletcher will this week complete a move to West Ham United, with the 30-year-old reportedly set to sign a three-and-a-half year contract at Upton Park. It will bring the curtain down on an Old Trafford career that spans two decades, with the Scottish international having first joined the Reds as a youth player way back in 1995.

As a sporting decision for everyone involved, this seems like a good move. Fletcher should enjoy regular Premier League football in the autumn of his career; United will shift a player who hasn't done an awful lot in an unspectacular season; and West Ham get a very solid, experienced pro in the centre of their mdifield. But on an emotional level, it'll be a little harder to take.

However, this probably won't be the last time we see Fletcher around United. According to the Manchester Evening News, United would be keen to bring him back in a coaching capacity at the end of his playing career.

Until then, thanks for everything, Fletch.